If you are sectioned, you can be kept in hospital, stopped from leaving the ward and given treatment for your mental health problems, possibly without your consent.

If you are sectioned, you normally have the right to get help from someone called an independent mental health advocate (IMHA). They can help you find out what rights you have while you are sectioned, and how to be discharged from hospital and get the section lifted. You also have other rights.

If you have been sectioned and you want to challenge the decision, there are several ways of getting discharged.

Please note

This guide only covers sectioning from the point of view of a person with a mental health problem.

This guide applies to England and Wales.

This guide contains general legal information, not legal advice. We recommend you get advice from a specialist legal adviser or solicitor who will help you with your individual situation and needs. See Useful contacts for more information.

The legal information in this guide does not apply to children unless specifically stated.

This information was published in September 2017. We will revise it in 2019.